Other bits...

Friday, 23 September 2016

September saw us jaunting off to watch the Firle Hill Climb. It's an event that used to take place between 1949 and1967 when it was ended due to an unfortunate accident. This is the second year of it's revival but now days the cars drive up the steep slopes of Bo Peep for fun rather than racing against each other. It's a really good day out and great to be able to see a good selection of old and classic cars actually being driven.(The event is held to raise money for Chailey Heritage school.)

It was a good walk and the views towards Cuckmere Haven were wonderful but impossible to photograph due to the direction of the sun .
Looking north over the Sussex Weald saw a patchwork of freshly harvested fields .
A short diversion off the South Downs Way took me down a chalk track where the view just had to be painted! As the Summer draws to a close and Autumn enters in then so the colors of the landscapes change. Much more subdued with longer shadows cast by the early Autumn sun....

"September Downs"Acrylic on canvas 24"x 18"

"September Downs" acrylic on canvas

"Along the South Downs Way"

Painting the South Downs Way

One of the familiar sign posts along the South Downs Way where the
wonderful views over the Sussex Weald fade off into the horizon.
Late Summer flowers put on their final display of colour among the wild
and windswept grass. (The view between Firle Beacon and Alfriston)

Friday, 9 September 2016

About 10 miles north of where I live is Ashdown Forest where the author A.A.Milne lived with his son Christopher Robin.
Their walks took them over the forest landscape..
“in single file threading the narrow paths that run through the heather”
inspiring the delightful stories of Winnie the Pooh.
This Summer our grandchildren came to stay and we thought it would be fun to find some of the places in the books so they could see them for real.
Now we couldn't possibly go on a "Pooh Expotition" without a visit to Pooh bridge and indulge in a game of Pooh Sticks . Although the weather wasn't at it's best our six year old granddaughter enjoyed it, just like Christopher Robin ...

Playing Pooh sticks

We then headed off to find the memorial plaque commemorating A.A.Mile and E.H. Shepard . From here you can see some wonderful views over the forest and beyond.
Most of the year the landscape is a blaze of yellow from the gorse bushes but in Summer the heather carpets the forest in purples and pinks.

The A.A.Milne memorial

Next we passed "Rue's Sandy Pit" (Old quarry) and headed off to "Galleons Lap" (Gill's Lap)....
in the words of A.A.Milne....

“Being enchanted, it’s floor was not
like the floor of the Forest, gorse and bracken and heather, but
close-set grass, quiet and smooth and green. It was the only place in
the Forest where you could sit down carelessly, without getting up again
almost at once and looking for somewhere else. Siting there they could
see the whole world spread out until it reached the sky, and whatever
there was all around the world over was with them in Galleons Lap.”

– The House At Pooh Corner; A.A Milne

Here at "The Enchanted Place" you could see what so inspired Milne to write his stories. The beautiful views, the vast array of earthy colours and the endless places for a young Christopher Robin to explore.
I have taken a small piece of his inspiration and have used it to inspire myself!
Thank you A.A.Milne......"The Enchanted Place"Acrylic on canvas 24"x 18"

Saturday, 3 September 2016

Sadly the Summer is fading away .
I didn't get to the seaside much this year due to the disputes of Southern rail. As a non driver I didn't fancy getting stuck miles away from home!
So instead I have concentrated more on the countryside which I enjoy just as much.
I took a stroll over to the village of Fletching the other day. It's only 2 miles away but I don't often go there. It's a picturesque village with a large church in the center.

Fletching church

It was all very quiet in the village so after a wander around in the sunshine I headed back to Newick . My route took me a short distance along te narrow country road and then a footpath across the fields.
I was almost at the footpath when I heard the sound of babbling water coming from the other side of the undergrowth. Being curious....OK...being nosey I couldn't resist crawling through the bushes to take a look.
To my delight the view that greeted me was just beautiful! The sun was shining through the trees and lighting up the leaves and ripples on the river as it flowed downstream. I sat for a while mesmerized . This ......just had to be painted! ....

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Welcome to my blog.....

Thank you for visiting and taking time to view my artwork.I paint with acrylics on canvas. Using very small brushes allows me to retain a smooth surface on which I can indulge in fine detail.Each painting being a little bit brighter....a little bit clearer and a little bit more colourful than real life!Hope you enjoy your visit .